0 ADM
I. BMD stood among the assembled survivors of the recent disaster. He couldn't help but feel much of their plight had been entirely his fault. No. They hadn't listened. If they had just accepted his command, Ramas would've been easily stopped, and everyone would still have a place to call home. But it WAS him who built the Essence Pillars that caused all the destruction. He sighed. None of it mattered anymore. They were here now, in the Elder Gods' home dimension. A place he, himself, used to call home. If he was correct, the planet they were on was Koft, the seat of the Elder Gods' power. Many people were staring at him. He began to wonder if they were simply waiting for him to make a move, or were too stunned by the fact that he had just saved their lives. It was quite ironic. He had just spent the last several years trying to enslave the very people he just saved. Well, "enslave" was such a crude term. He just wanted them to cooperate with him, under his rule, whether they wanted to or not. To his left was Jedi Master Bastila Shan. He and her were lovers of a sort, and a very odd couple at that. For BMD was considered a Sith Lord, among numerous other things. She was also looking out into the crowd. Her face was dirty, a product of the last battle with Ramas. Behind her, the Elder Gods stood quietly. BMD knew they were ashamed that they could not hold Ramas off. Only when BMD offered to assist by banishing Ramas to the Temporal Plane did they do any good. In fact, many of those assembled there could do nothing as Ramas made his way from one dimension to another, massacring anyone who stood in his way of the Essence Pillars. But that was all in the Past now. They all needed to think of their future. This dimension could very well be the very last one in Existence. They needed to make decisions. And make them fast. If they were to survive, they had to work together. Maybe now, some of them would see why BMD had tried so hard to unite them under his rule. Maybe some of them will even follow him. The Sith would, that was for sure. And he was confident the Elder Gods owed him a debt, so they would too. BMD cleared his throat and approached the crowd, many of them shuffling back, others getting into a defensive posture, anticipating an attack. BMD smiled to himself. Even now, after he'd helped save their lives, they still didn't trust him. Smart. He would not trust him either. "I know what you're all thinking," BMD began. "'Why?... Why, BMD? Why did you help us defeat Ramas?'" He cast his gaze over the crowd once more. "Because. I told you so. All I wanted to do was unite you. All I wanted to do was to help you defeat him. I knew he would break free of his prison in this dimension. But you refused to believe me. You thought I was going to enslave you, put you to work, and serve my needs. Well, you're partially right. My needs are your needs. I want to survive. You want to survive. Alone, Ramas would destroy us. Together, we defeated him. But now, our homes are gone. I offer you this final chance. Join me, and we will rebuild our lives," BMD said. "I'm offering you a choice now. Those of you who wish to follow me will make their homes on the neighboring planet. Those who do not... Stay here. Etch out your own existence. I won't stop you." There was murmuring in the crowd. Some looked unsure of what to do, but the choices were set. One stepped forward. He had spiked blond hair, fair skin, and a abnormally large sword strapped to his back. BMD knew him well. Cloud Strife had a gash on his cheek, and a scornful look on his face. "I for one sure as hell am NOT following you, BMD! You may have saved us, but one good deed doesn't make up for a thousand vile ones!" Cloud yelled. Several others voiced their agreement. Unfazed by the exclamations, BMD shrugged. "You all have your choice. Like I said. Those who WISH to follow me, can do so," BMD crossed his arms and waited patiently. His gaze shifted to the Sith, gathered in a group to his right. The said nothing, but the lead Sith Lord, Darth Sidious nodded. BMD nodded back. The Sith would follow him, as expected. A sudden shifting to his left caught his attention. The Elder Gods silently conversed with themselves, but one of them stepped toward BMD. Sarah, one of the Elders closest to BMD in days past smiled at him. BMD was a bit surprised at the smile, considering the circumstances, but smiled back. She wore her traditional white robes, that were fitted tightly over her body. She also donned a loose cloak, draped over her shoulders. She had perfect alabaster skin, bright blue eyes, and long blond hair that hung in a tail. "We, the Elder Gods, choose to follow you, Brother. Though you've caused great harm to the dimensions and all that dwell in them, we find that this is a perfect opportunity for you to repent. Helping others survive will be a start," Sarah said. "Even Sheridan?" BMD asked. "This is hardly a time for joking, but yes, Brother. Even me," Sheridan stepped forward, stopping beside Sarah. Sheridan was every bit as beautiful as Sarah, but was several inches taller. She wore light blue robes that hid her more form-fitted body suit underneath. She also had golden blond hair, but kept it hanging loosely about her head. Unlike her Sister, however, Sheridan had dark brown eyes. "Very well. I welcome the Elder Gods' aid," BMD bowed slightly to Kaostos, the Highfather of the Elder Gods. He stood quietly behind the rest, his fatherly features a sharp contrast to the more youthful Elders. Kaostos had long gray hair and pupil-less white eyes. The lines of age marred his face, but they made him seem more akin to one's grandfather than some old man. He was powerfully built and stood a head above Sheridan. "You're offering us safe haven. We will follow you, my Son," Kaostos said. "Great then," BMD turned back to the crowd. "Anyone else?" "I don't speak for the Council... but... I will join you," Bastila said. "Besides... Your friends over there need to be watched. Kept in line." She gestured to the Sith. They glowered at her, but made no comment. BMD chuckled, glancing to the Sith, but set his attention on Bastila. "With or without the Jedi, you are welcome, Bastila. I'm glad you decided to join me," BMD put a hand on her shoulder. "Well. I still need to convince them. I'd hate to have to do this alone," She grinned. Bastila gave BMD a smile, before making her way into the crowd to find the remnants of the Jedi Order. "Well there you have it," BMD started, turning back to the crowd. There are those of you who trust me enough to follow my lead. The Elder Gods and I can safely transport us to the next planet over. Those of you that will follow me, stay here. Those of you who do not, please move aside." 'II.' Le struggled to orientate himself after what seemed to be an eternity of falling helplessly into the unknown. What started merely as a bright flash in the sky quickly turned into a maelstrom of energy which consumed everything in sight. As he regained his focus, Le remembered seeing and hearing things, people, and places that were somewhat familiar. “Status report…” Le managed to mutter into his radio. He waited for several moments with nothing but silence as a response. “Status report! This is Eagle 1, all units respond!” he shouted, anger momentarily overcoming his feeling of unease. Again he was answered with nothing but silence. As Le tried to make sense of what had just happened, he heard a cough from some nearby debris. Quickly pulling out his firearm, Le’s training took over as he moved to investigate the sound. As Le moved closer he was able to identify a man attempting to get onto his feet. As Le slowly closed the distance between them he noticed the man wore what appeared to be a UED uniform. “Guess I wasn’t the only one taken for a ride,” he thought although he remained cautious of any trickery. “You have three seconds to identify yourself or you won't be breathing by four,” Le sternly stated while at the same time cocking his weapon loud enough for the stranger to hear. “Is that how friends are supposed to greet each other after a near death experience?” Alexei’s voice asked as he chuckled to himself. Le breathed an immediate sigh of relief as he placed his weapon in its holster. “Well glad to know that whenever I get myself into trouble I’ll have you to help take the blame,” Le heartily stated. Alexei turned around and saluted Le out of formality. “More like help pull your ass out of the fire my friend!” “True enough!” Le responded while returning the salute. “I don’t suppose anything that just happened makes any more sense to you then it does me?” Alexei frowned, “Unfortunately I believe I may. Many of the beings we saw exist in separate dimensions from each other. It would appear that multiple dimensions for some reason have converged. I can only guess that it has something to do with BMD’s Essence Pillars.” Over the next hour Alexei explained the events concerning all he knew about the Elder Gods, BMD, and the Essence Pillars. “Don’t worry, I’m certain Earth still exists, we just need to find it,” Alexei said as confidently as possible. “If it’s out there, I will find it. Speaking of planets, where are we?” Le asked with as much composure as he was able to muster. Alexei looked for a moment at the night sky before stating, “Since I recognize some of these constellations, I believe that we are somewhere on the planet Koft. If I recall correctly there should be a city about a day’s walk north of here.” “Well let’s get a move on then, hanging out in the middle of a countryside with another guy isn’t exactly my idea of a great time,” Le smirked in an attempt at humor to ease his mind. With that, Alexei and Le began making their way northward with Le setting a rapid pace. Running through the plains helped relax his mind. Memories of basic training and his ensuing career flooded his thoughts. Before long, a small glow of lights appeared in the distance. “What is it, some sort of encampment?” Le asked. Pulling out his binoculars, Alexei climbed towards the top of small hill for a better look. “Looks like a refugee camp, I see women and children around. Should be safe to approach and at least ask for directions. You can handle a loud mouthed child right?” Alexei smirked. “I’ve had my fair share of experience dealing with troublemakers,” Le replied throwing his friend a glance. Alexei however did not catch it as he was already making his way towards the camp. Despite his reassurances of safety it did not go unnoticed by Le that Alexei’s gun holster strap was undone. Good ol' Alexei, Le thought to himself, always trying to get into the action before me. Fortunately for both of them, the people at the camp were not looking for trouble. They were able to discover that they were not the only ones to be stranded in the middle of no-where which further supported Alexei’s theory that something had happened to the Essence Pillars. As Le made his way towards the far end of the camp there was a large group of men all in UED uniforms sitting around. “Well, now we're getting somewhere,” Le thought as he moved in to whip them into shape. Alexei was busy gathering as much information as he could when Le re-appeared with 15 UED soldiers in tow. “Good news!” Le exclaimed,” found some old friends and working communicators. It appears that there is a mass gathering in the nearby city we were headed to. Some of our guys are already there and more showing up by the hour. Lets head on out to rendezvous and figure out what to do from there." The next day, the rag tag group walked into the city, or what was left of it. If Le hadn’t been part of the DA before, seeing so many different species at once would have overwhelmed him. The same couldn’t be said for some of the troops who had been too young at the time of the last Dimensional War. It didn’t take long for the group to find the rest of the UED forces gathered within the city. Upon seeing their general many of the troops cheered startling many of those standing within earshot. “Glad to see you all didn’t completely forget your training!” Le jested. “Well boys, it appears that we're gonna be stuck here for awhile till we can find a way back to Earth. You can believe me when I say that Earth is still out there somewhere and we will find it. Until then we’re just going to have to make the best of things here. Our previous service to the DA should buy us some influence in getting supplies and an area to settle in. We are still part of the UED whose mission is to protect the Earth, stay true to that commitment now. Our objective…survive, let’s just survive.” 'III.' Sarah approached where BMD and Bastila were seated. Bastila was enticing the embers with a stick, as BMD quietly conversed with her. The two looked at Sarah as she neared. She smiled at them, and they beckoned her over. Sarah gathered her robes around her and sat down next to BMD. The day had come and gone. Many survivors were still undecided whether or not to follow BMD. The ones who were adamant about staying on Koft had gathered themselves and settled farther away from where the three of them sat. They were far away enough to where they could just make out their silhouettes and small fires. The chill of the evening had settled in, and Bastila shivered, inching nearer to the paltry flame. "How many do you think will come with us?" Bastila asked. She turned to face BMD. "How many ever we can get. But if I had to put it to a rough estimate... half. Even though they probably don't trust me, they're no fans of the ones staying here either. How long do you think it'll take us to rebuild, Sarah?" BMD asked the Elder Goddess. Sarah considered for a moment before answering. "I'm sure both our factions will be able to establish functioning societies by the end of the year. We all come from different backgrounds, and we all have different talents. The hardest part will be deciding how to best use them," Sarah said. "What are you planning to do with all that power? You won't be starting any wars anytime soon, will you?" "Knowing him, he'll want to settle in first. Talk to him next year," Bastila grinned. "Oh, very funny, both of you. Witty as ever," BMD shook his head. "We'll have to establish a government. I will lead of course, but I would like to have you and the others as advisors, Sarah." "You want our help now? My, how times have changed," chuckled Sarah. She wagged a finger at BMD. "If you get out of line, we'll have to do something about it." "You'll have the authority to. With Ramas gone, I don't think there will be anything to mess with my mind. Things should be normal again... ," Sarah cocked an eye. "Again? When has it ever been normal, Brother?" "Okay, okay. For once, it will be normal," BMD laughed. He looked at Bastila. "What about the Jedi? I doubt they're thrilled that they'll be following me." "Follow you? No, they're coming to keep an eye on your lightning-blasting, red lightsaber wielding little friends," Bastila said. "Oh, and you don't expect to have me all to yourself, did you?" "Oh. Joy. A witty Jedi following me around. Why not?" BMD playfully rolled his eyes. Bastila threw the stick at him. BMD caught it and tossed it aside, laughing. "You'll be the death of me," Bastila chuckled, shaking her head. The three looked up as several people walked up to their small gathering. They all wore violet robes and were easily recognized as mages. The lead mage walked up to BMD and gave him a slight bow. He was elderly, and had a long white beard. He carried himself in a confident manner, but had a fatherly gaze. Stern, but warm. "Greetings, BMD. I am Archmage Antonidas, leader of what is left of the Kirin'Tor. We've come to ask if you needed anything to eat. My fellow mages have been scouring the different campsites and providing what we can," the mage said. BMD got up to meet the mage. "That's very generous of you, Lord mage. I'm sure my companions and I can use some sustenance. If you please," BMD said. Antonidas nodded, and began conjuring. After a moment, a large loaf of bread and a sack of water appeared before the group. "Most kind of you, my friend. Thank you." "It's all we can do in our time of crisis. Your gratitude is welcome, but unnecessary," Antonidas smiled. "Will you be joining us, Lord mage?" BMD asked. Antonidas paused. He seemed to be debating the question himself, as if he hadn't really thought about it. "You'll have to forgive me when I say that I'll have to talk to my fellow colleagues. Although I lead them, I am in no position to decide their future. At any rate, may the Light watch over us all during our time of need," Antonidas bowed once again, before moving to leave. "Thank you again, then, Lord Antonidas," BMD bowed, before watching the mages leave. He turned back to Sarah. "Do you think they'll follow us?" "No. They would be better off here, anyway. I doubt the faction staying here has much, if anyone versed in magic," Sarah explained. "Understandable. Well, no point in just talking about it. Let's eat, shall we?" The other two nodded their agreement, and the waited as Bastila started serving the loaf of bread. The next morning, BMD awoke from his tent, and yawned. He peered over to Bastila, who was still asleep. She'd taken off her robes and used it as a blanket, but she was still shivering slightly. Before leaving the small tent, he let his bulky robes fall onto Bastila, giving her slightly more comfort. The Sun, Adamantus, was just rising over the horizon. Kaostos was up as well, and was waiting for BMD to arrive. The Highfather of the Elder Gods turned his gaze to BMD, smiling as he approached. BMD gave him a slight bow as a greeting. "Morning, Highfather," BMD said, turning to watch the sunrise again. "Good morning," Kaostos crossed his arms. "There are many who are going to follow us. Many good people from good dimensions. The bulk of Faraway will join us. Pokeworld, Azeroth, an Elvish Collective, a Dwarven Collective, and many more. It will be tough to rebuild, but the Faithful on the neighboring planet will help us." "Good to hear. When can we leave?" BMD asked. "Once everyone is awake. We should all move at the same time. It will give us time to figure out the hierarchy," Kaostos said. "What form of government ARE you going to undertake, might I ask?" BMD smiled. "You think I'll become a tyrant, do you?" BMD chuckled. "I find the idea of Faraway's Republic a good one. We'll be a Republic." "Well then, we'll need a name for this planet," Kaostos said. BMD looked off into the rising star again before answering. "Coruscant... New Coruscant," 'IV.' Le awoke early the next day and headed out to take a headcount of all the survivors that were from the Stronghold dimension. Including the group of marines he had encountered and the straggling civilians that steadily poured into the camp, they had around two or three hundred. So far, there were no superior officers that showed up, leaving him in command of the forces who remained. Le doubted the civilians would question a military leadership, especially under the current situation. In fact, the surviving civilian population were probably more confused and frightened about what had just happened, leaving them in a position to accept whatever aid and whomever offered it. Being a Paragon of the surely defunct Dimensional Alliance, he would be viewed as someone who could be trusted, but no one could really tell how the latest chain of events had warped the impressions of the masses. Le walked toward a large gathering near the center of the camp. A good majority of the camp's residents were still asleep, so he was curious about what was happening so early in the morning. He recognized Alexei in the crowd and went over to stand beside him. The older man was listening intently to the speaker within the crowd. The speaker had a tall, imposing build, complete with a full mustache that extended into a short beard. He had graying hair. but the majority was as black as night. The insignia on his left breast was of the Terran Dominion, a supporter of the Dimensional Alliance. "Friends, you are all leaders of your respective dimensions. We are the last of humanity. You say there are others like us, from other dimensions, who speak, act, and look like humans. But we are different. Everyone assembled in this camp share a common ancestry. We can all call Earth our home, in one form or another. That is why we should join together. Under my leadership, we can rebuild our society, and take vengeance on those who caused this misfortune," the man said. "Some of us have actually seen Earth, Mengsk. Hell, some of us were actually BORN there," Alexei stepped forward, hands folded over his chest. "Ah, Alexei Stukov. I was wondering if any of the United Earth Directorate had survived. Pity," Mengsk sighed. "Nonetheless. We all know that this catastrophe has been brought upon us by a common enemy. And my proven leadership skills will be able to help us enter a new age." "An age of what? Your dictatorship? Has your ego now extended beyond Trinity dimension? Was the Dominion's repeated failures not enough to convince you that your way is not right?" Alexei returned. "He's right. The Dominion is hardly the model for what Humanity should be striving toward," Le put in. Most of the group turned to Le. They hadn't noticed his presence until now. The sudden attention made him shift uncomfortably. "Paragon Le. Good of you to join us. I was not informed of your survival," Mengsk said, genuinely surprised. "Your word here is invaluable. We would be honored if you joined this conversation." Le cocked an eye. It wasn't like Mengsk to openly invite someone to help discuss the future, especially if that future involved Arcturus Mengsk. Since the crowd had turned to him, he was able to recognize several faces, including Jim Raynor and Michael Liberty. There were a couple Ghosts standing near Arcturus, as well as the former Emperor of the Dominion's son, Valerian. The Ghosts were unremarkable, considering they were in full gear and their faces were obscured by their visors. Le regarded Mengsk and gave him a slight shrug. "The Dimensional Alliance has surely been shattered. I really have no say here. Unless President Rendan is still alive, I just lead the forces from Stronghold," Le said. "But Stronghold was a major player on the dimensional stage. They were the driving force behind many of the battles during the Second Dimensional War. Their United Earth Directorate was much more prominent than that of Trinity dimension," Mengsk said. Stukov snorted at Mengsk's last comment, drawing a look from both Le and Mengsk. "Well, if it's my say you want, then I would have to agree with you on one point, Arcturus," Le said. He grinned at Mengsk's reaction to Le's use of his first name. Mengsk was probably accustomed to being treated as the superior being. "Earth descendants should unite. I agree. But under your banner, I think not." "...Understandable," Mengsk's left eye twitched a bit. "However. Even James Raynor believes in my leadership." He turned to regard the man a couple meters away to his left, standing next to Mike Liberty. "I wouldn't go so far as to say I believe in you, Mengsk. But you DO have the largest military and civilian force right now. You musta' done somethin' right to pull that off," Raynor said, crossing his arms. "Not to mention you've still got a full contingent of Ghosts." The gathering glanced at the two Ghosts stationed there. One was female with blonde hair tied back and the other was a male with dark brown hair. Both had slender and athletic builds befitting the needs of a Ghost operative. If Mengsk had a full contingent, that would mean there were at least eight more roaming or stationed throughout the camp. The two stood motionless, hands resting on their gauss rifles. Le wondered if they even knew what was going on, considering most Ghosts that still lived were blindly loyal to the Terran Dominion. "So I'm guessing we'll just have to follow you out of necessity then," Le said. "Call it whatever you want. All I want to do is rebuild. Together, we can be better than ever. Think about it, all Earth parallels working side-by-side. No force in what's left in the universe can stop us. Not even the Elder Gods," Mengsk said. "Hey now. Show some respect. The Elder Gods are probably the only reason we're even alive!" Liberty said. "Our innate drive to survive is why we're all still alive, Mr. Liberty. A pity that the trait is present even in you," Mengsk said, a hint of venom in his tone. "Just like Arcturus Mengsk. Always criticizing people who are trying to do the right thing. Always taking-," Mike began. "Hold on, Mike," Le held up a hand. He turned to Mengsk. "Again, someone other than you is right. The Elder Gods did all they could to keep us out of danger. When BMD attacked, they were there to help. Its unfair to take a hostile stance against them. And our new alliance is not out for conquest. If you truly want to rebuild our former glory, Stronghold will follow you. If not... we'll take our chances with two or three hundred Earth-borne." Mengsk and Le stared at each other for a long moment. The former Emperor then chuckled and smiled. "Very well. For the good of humanity, then. Now, onto other business. Agent Terra, please retrieve our guest," Mengsk said to one of the Ghosts. The female Ghost nodded and left the gathering. Several minutes later, she returned with another woman. She wore a worn-out D.A. uniform and had long, dark brown hair. She was fair skinned and very attractive. On the chest of her uniform was the crest of Gaia dimension, one of the original five Council dimensions of the Dimensional Alliance. Agent Terra returned to her place next to Mengsk. The gathering made room for the D.A. agent, who stepped purposefully toward Mengsk. "There had better be a very good reason for keeping me here, Mengsk. I don't think the rest of the D.A. would like that I was held here against my will and at gunpoint," she spat. "Ms. Lockhart, you were hardly held here at gunpoint. In fact, we only extended our hospitality to you, because we didn't have time to get to you yet. But now, everything has been cleared up. I can speak to you as leader of the remaining survivors of Earth's parallel dimensions," Mengsk said, smiling reassuringly. "Well that would be great if I was sent to speak to you," Agent Lockhart said. She turned to the rest of those assembled. "For those of you that don't know, I'm Tifa Lockhart, representative of the interim leader of the D.A., Cloud Strife. A number of us have been sent throughout Koft to spread the message of new Alliance being assembled. Much of you may have heard that there are survivors who are leaving to settle a neighboring planet under the leadership of BMD." Several people murmured at the revelation. Tifa paused for a moment, allowing the chatter to die down before continuing. "However, those who do not wish to follow BMD can stay and help the Dimensional Alliance Remnant to form the Koftian Alliance. A representative of each group, preferably the established leader, will meet with Interim Chancellor Strife at a summit two days from now. It'll be at Kofto City, the Elder Gods' former seat of power," Tifa said. "Former seat of power? Were the Elder Gods killed?" someone asked. "No, they have decided to follow BMD," Tifa replied. A wave of surprise washed over the gathering. "I know it is surprising, but BMD is one of them. It's only natural that they would want to follow him. And contrary to popular belief, BMD was the one who defeated Ramas, saving the rest of us from total annihilation..." "The Lord of Pain is a bane on everything we hold dear. I don't care if he defeated Ramas. He is still the enemy. Everything he's done is inexcusable," Mengsk said. "Believe what you want. But Cloud has no intention of fighting BMD when everything is just beginning to settle down," Tifa said. "So this summit is taking place in two days? I know Mengsk is our official leader. I would like to go as our representative," Le said, stepping to Tifa. She turned to him, surprised. "Who are...," Tifa pointed at him in recognition. "Paragon Le. We thought you died!" "Nope, just thought we were done with Dimensional Wars," Le said, grinning. "Cloud would definitely want you at the summit. Your contributions to our organization have been greatly appreciated," Tifa said. "Now see here, I'' am Humanity's leader," Mengsk started. "You're welcome to come too, Mengsk. But I doubt your word would overrule mine when it comes right down to it," Le said. "He's a point," Raynor chuckled. "Fine. But you're not counting me out of what's going on. I'll be there, and I assure you, I'll not be silent when it comes down to the final say," Mengsk scoffed. He spun from the group. The two Ghosts turned to follow him as he trotted off to his tent. Valerian watched his father go and simply shrugged. He turned to Tifa. "I'm sorry for that, Ms. Lockhart. My father is... well... I'm sure you understand," Valerian let out a faint smile. "Good day to you both, then." Valerian gave the two a slight bow, and hurried to catch up with his father. Le turned back to Tifa and nodded. "I'll be there. Sorry for holding you for so long. I'm sure you'll have to report back as soon as possible," Le said. "No worries. Actually, I have to get to two more groups of survivors before I report back. I'll see you at the Summit, Paragon," Tifa inclined her head and hurried off. The rest of the gathering began to disperse, Alexei stood next to Le as he stared at the horizon, as the star began its rise. Thoughts rushed through his mind, most of them concerning how the summit was going to turn out. He thought about the fact that BMD was still on the loose, and building his own faction unchecked. However, Tifa's reassurance made it abundantly clear that Cloud had no quarrel with BMD, and he would have to assume the Lord of Pain felt likewise. He turned to his longtime friend and gave him a weary smile. "I can't believe I tried to escape all this," Le chuckled. "Can't escape what's everywhere, my friend. This is reality now. The only reality we seem to have left," Alexei took out a cigarette. "I wonder what our new neighbors are going to do. You think BMD's ready to leave the rest of the universe alone?" Le asked. "Who knows. We'll just have to do what we do best in the UED, Le," Alexei patted around for a lighter. He sighed when he had no luck finding one and tossed the cigarette away. "Stay vigilant. Always stay vigilant..." 'V. BMD, Dark Lord of the Sith and newly christened Supreme Chancellor of New Coruscant walked at a steady pace down the Halls of the newly constructed Sith Temple. At his sides were Darth Sidious and Naga Sadow. Sidious wore his traditional black robes with his hood back. Pale skinned and yellow-eyed, Sidious had brown hair, slicked back with hints of gray in them. His colleague, Naga Sadow, looked more akin to a serpent than a man. A tall and slender human and Sith hybrid, Naga Sadow wore ceremonial Sith regalia, which was reminiscent of the Golden Age of the Sith, 5000 years before Sidious' reign. It was complete with colorful and golden adornments and trinkets, all of which were to Sadow's liking. Naga Sadow had pale skin and a short, black beard. He was bald. but wore a ceremonial cap, matching the rest of his outfit. At his waist, there hung a vicious looking Sith sword, the weapon of choice of the Ancient Sith. BMD glanced at his colleagues as they neared the Temple's exit. "You know, you don't always have to escort me out of the Temple," BMD said. The Sith Temple was large and shaped like a pyramid with lesser pyramids situated around it. The Faithful, who were the servants of the Elder Gods, were compensated very well for its construction. Some of the Faithful were still distrustful of BMD, but since the Elder Gods had voiced their approval of BMD, the Faithful had begun to follow suit. The Hall leading to the exit was guarded by a number of Sith Apprentices. In fact, these were probably the only Apprentices left in the Sith Order. BMD had made no plans for the Sith to recruit. The Hall was dark, save for a few large glowrods stationed on the walls. As the three walked past the Apprentices, they all inclined their heads, not raising them until the three Sith Masters were out of sight. Over the past six months, the Sith Order had been more or less pacified. They were forced renounce their overly violent ways in the pursuit of enlightenment. BMD wanted the Sith to fulfill a destiny that truly befitted practitioners of the Dark Side. He wanted the Sith to stop fighting one another and the Jedi and focus on expanding their understanding of the Dark Side and strengthening themselves in the process. Usually, the Sith numbered very few, but circumstances allowed the most powerful Sith in history to work with each other. Some might argue that this was the way of the Jedi, but BMD saw it as a way to become better than the Jedi. However, it was a curious thing, considering his lover was a Jedi. "It's more official to do things this way, my Lord," Sidious replied. He had always been a mild-mannered Sith Lord. This trait helped mask his true qualities very well, also giving him an edge over other Sith Lords. It was also why BMD had named Sidious his second. While the Dark Lord was away, Sidious ran the Sith affairs. Naga Sadow was the Sith's military leader. He made sure the Sith were always ready for a fight. "Fine, fine, have it your way, Palpatine. Lord Sadow, any news on the new line of Sith Buzzards?" BMD glanced at Naga Sadow. The other Sith Lord shrugged, his brows furrowing into a scowl. "The engineers can be made to work faster, my Lord. But it may be considered... cruel. I doubt we'd get away with it without the Jedi blowing any whistles... So to speak," Lord Sadow said. "I see," nodded BMD. "Carry on then. Those fighters will be ready sooner or later. The New Coruscanti Coalition has already produced a number of starfighters capable of traveling from here to Koft if necessary. I just hope it never has to come to that." "We could crush them, Lord Malice. We should crush them. And the Jedi with them," Naga Sadow said vehemently. BMD held up a hand, sending calm through the Force. As shaky as the relationship between the Jedi and the Sith was, they were at peace. It was something the Sith and Jedi had never enjoyed in their entire history. "I know your hatred for the Jedi runs very deep, Lord Sadow," BMD glanced at Palpatine. "I know you hate them as well, my friend. But we cannot afford to start a civil war on old hatreds alone. Do not stop hating, for it keeps us strong. This peace will allow us to grow. I truly believe each Sith Lord is the equivalent of ten Jedi, so we'll have no trouble surpassing them in the end." "As you wish, My Lord," Naga Sadow said. He was still a bit agitated, but gradually pushed it from his mind. Palpatine, master of deception, kept his thoughts hidden well. Even BMD could not read anything from his colleague. The three Sith Masters walked out of the Temple and into the sun-lit streets of Centre City. Darth Sidious and Naga Sadow stopped at the top of the stairs and bowed to BMD. BMD nodded at the two and took his leave. Directly ahead of him was the large park that was created to separate the two Temples residing in the planet's capital. One was the Sith Temple, which BMD had just exited. The other, was the Jedi Temple. It was a bit ironic that the two were directly across from each other and separated by a tribute to nature. The humor came from the fact that the two Orders conflicted with each other as much as in the natural world as in the philosophical one. BMD glanced to his right, seeing the Capital building in the distance. The Senate was still getting settled and plans were already being drawn up to create a permanent Senate building a little farther away from the Capital building. As he descended the large set of steps leading to the Sith Temple, BMD felt a familiar presence catch up with him from around the corner. Elder Sarah rounded the corner and fell in step with BMD as he made his trek to the Capital building. Wearing her traditional white robes, she gracefully made her way to BMD's side. "Hello, Brother," Sarah said. "Sarah," BMD returned the greeting. "How can I help you?" The two continued walking, or in Sarah's case, practically gliding toward BMD's destination. Sarah gave BMD a sideways look, but gave him a small smile. "Actually, you can help me. The other Elders were wondering about this entity you like to call Republic Intelligence," Sarah said. "Oh? What about it?" "Kaostos wants to know if you're trying to get on the Koftians' bad side already. Spying, BMD?" Sarah grinned. She wagged a finger playfully at BMD, who grinned and gave a small shrug. "Everyone knows espionage is a viable way to keep the peace," BMD said. "It's also a sure way to start a war, Brother. You've been Supreme Chancellor six months and you've already begun playing very dangerous games. The planet hasn't even fully settled down yet," "True. But there's no such thing as too early. The more we can find out about them, the better chance we'll have of dealing with them," BMD pointed out. The two continued en route, crossing a busy intersection. Several people glanced at them as they passed. The two were easily recognizable. BMD was, after all, the Supreme Chancellor, and Sarah was a respected Elder Goddess. It was very busy during this time of day. There were still a great number of landspeeders that still roamed the streets. The more luxurious airspeeders were sparse overhead, but not nonexistent. Sarah eyed her Brother thoughtfully. The two were not natural siblings, in the sense that they shared the same parents. They grew up with one another, and were very close during the early years of their lives. But when BMD had lost touch with the other Elders, the two drifted apart. They had only recently begun to revisit their old friendship. All in all, Sarah trusted BMD's judgement when it came to matters of great importance. The rest of the universe would have thought differently just six months ago. Yet, after the Meld, BMD had begun to become more akin to a decent person, and not the evil being that he was portrayed as during the grim years leading up and through the Dimensional Wars. "Alright, BMD. I'll trust your judgement. I'll tell Kaostos that you've everything under control," Sarah said. The two neared the Capital building, which was another block away. "If it helps any, there are only two field agents at the moment," BMD said. "Iella Antilles and Mirax Horn. Both former Faraway." "How'd you get a Jedi Master's wife to help you?" Sarah laughed. "The Jedi don't all hate me," BMD said ruefully. "I just think Corran Horn just doesn't know what to think of me." "Are they all that undecided, or are there actually any that actually like you?" Sarah teased. "Master Luke Skywalker," BMD said indignantly. "Really? Forgive me when I say: you've got to be kidding me. Why would he have a favorable view of you? He despises the Sith," "It's true. Bastila told me so. He likes how I'm keeping things between the Sith and Jedi civil. He's like Bastila, they don't see me as a true Sith. And if Luke thinks I'm okay, then the rest of the Solo-Skywalker family must have a high opinion of me," BMD said with a bit of pride. "If anyone else was listening to this, I'd ask them if they also found the fact that you're thinking about your public image hilarious," Sarah laughed softly. "But that is useful, BMD. Two of the five Masters of the Jedi's High Council look favorably upon you." "Joy," BMD shook his head and smiled. They reached the steps of the Capital building and paused. "Well. I better get to work, Sister. Give my regards to the others." Sarah nodded. He watched BMD go up the steps to the Capital building before casting her teleportation spell to the Elder's Enclave. Her surroundings began to blur as she pulled herself from her current location and shifted to the Enclave. As the spell finished, her blurred surroundings began to sharpen again, and she recognized the familiar surroundings of her private chamber. Spell complete, she left her quarters and went toward the main hall. The Enclave was an ancient place, but servants spent day and night keeping it clean and livable. The hallways had large windows, allowing light from the sun to pour into the Enclave. Sarah walked casually into the main hall, where she saw three other Elder Gods talking amongst themselves. Sheridan, Raphael, and Nicholas sat at a large table, talking with each other about a matter that Sarah could not hear at her distance. She crossed the hall and took a seat next to Sheridan and quietly listened. Nicholas wore a dark blue tunic and matching pants. His cape was draped over his chair and unclapsed around his neck. Raphael, Sarah's blood-related brother sat next to him. He wore white robes similar to Sarah's, but where Sarah's robes emphasized her more feminine features, Raphael's robes were bulky and large. Sheridan wore a form-fitting battle suit with a light blue hue and black lining. "We should try contacting the Koftians. We'd be in a better place if we all just got along," Raphael said. "I mean, I'm sure not all of them want nothing to do with the rest of us." "You could be right, but since they've made no effort to contact us, we can safely assume that they would rather do things their own way," Nicholas shrugged. "It might be better that way, Raphael." "Prime Minister Goku doesn't seem like the aggressive sort," Sheridan pointed out. "I doubt we'll have to fear any hostilities coming from their planetary government." "Doesn't mean that their district governments don't have agendas of their own. The Senators practically own the districts. And many of them don't like our government. Especially when BMD is involved," Nicholas said. "Well, we'll be able to find out who those Senators are soon enough," Sarah put in. The three other Elders looked at her. "We were right about what BMD is planning. He's already got two agents working for him, if he's being truthful." "You think he is?" Sheridan asked. "Yes. He's no reason to lie to us. We're his family," Sarah said. She felt some uneasiness come from the rest of the group. "I know. It's been a long road. And he's done many terrible things, but he's back to his old self, now. I don't think he'd deceive us." "Well if you trust him, Sister," Raphael said. "We'll just have to too. What do you think Kaostos will think?" "The Highfather has always given BMD the benefit of the doubt. He trusts him. We should too," Sarah said. The other three gave slight shrugs, and returned to the topic at hand. '''VI. Senator Mengsk was quite comfortable, sitting in his over-sized leather chair. His desk was also a bit over-the-top, granting him quite the distance from himself to anyone he was speaking to in his office. Right now, it was his district's military advisor, the former Paragon, Le. Mengsk didn't really know what to think of the man. He was powerful and someone to be respected, true enough. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that Le was after his job, even though Le had made it abundantly clear that he was quite content with his own. Nonetheless, he kept a wary eye on his counterpart, which he was able to do very well. The Ghosts that were still employed by the Earthern District of Koft made sure of it. Mengsk assigned one of his top Ghost operatives, Nova Terra, to keep a close eye on Le. From what she had gathered, Le had kept the kind of company Mengsk should be worried about. During the past six months, he'd made quick friends of Jim Raynor and Mike Liberty. Alexei Stukov was already one of the former Paragon's close associates, so that made matters between the Senator and the Chief Military Advisor difficult. Mengsk placed the reports on the latest developments from Kofto City aside. He clasped his hands on his desk and looked at Le with a smile. "It has come to my attention that you want to be a part of the Moon settlement plan. Do I have to remind you that space exploration tech hasn't really been a priority in Earthern District?" Mengsk asked. "I understand that, but it's a Koftian matter. The planetary government contacted me, and I agreed. Me asking you is just a formality, Arcturus," Le said. He smiled at Mengsk's reaction. The man still hadn't gotten used to the fact that Le was so casual toward the Senator, even after all these months. "I see," Mengsk smiled thinly. "Well. So what do you want from me?" "Nothing. I was just letting you know. You are our leader. However, establishing a presence on Koftia would be a very wise decision," Le said. Mengsk cocked an eye and leaned forward. "Enlighten me," Mengsk said. "Well, considering that there's an overwhelming group volunteering to colonize Koftia, we'd benefit from acting as a security force during settlement. It would boost our district's influence in the Senate. Senators Rufus Shinra and Zelda the First are already big players. If we can move on Koftia, we can probably make it to their status," "I see," Mengsk considered this. "But... Rufus Shinra was appointed Governor of Koftia. How will our position shift when Midgar District's Senator basically controls Koftia?" "Shinra's been appointed Governor? That's the first I've heard of it. I suppose he'll be moving there then. It would only make sense. Midgar will need a new Senator. I've got my money on Cloud," Le said. "He's Koftian Planetary Watch. Why would he leave that to be a Senator?" "There's no law against being both," Le replied. "Well then, that really works to our advantage. Cloud Strife is a friend of our district," Mengsk said. In fact, Cloud was a very close ally of Mengsk's. They shared a number of similar views, especially when it came to stances on their neighbors on New Coruscant. Prime Minister Goku had made it clear that Koft should remain out of Coruscanti affairs. Strife and Mengsk believed they should at least send some infiltrators to Coruscant to gather intelligence on them. Yet, Koft still did not rediscover the technology capable of traversing to Coruscant. "Whatever works. Now if you'll excuse me, the Prime Minister wants me to meet with several other leaders of the operation. I'm sure Shinra will be there. I'll let them all know of our intentions, then?" Le got up to leave. Mengsk nodded and waved him off. "Yes, yes, of course. Send a report to my secretary," Mengsk turned from Le. His chair spun to the expansive window behind him, allowing Mengsk to overlook the City-District of Earth. He heard the door slide open and close while he studied the steady flow of street traffic down below the District-Government building. Earthern District was the third largest in all of Koft, behind Midgar and Hyrule. Midgar had the technology to become one of the leading Districts of the planet, whereas Hyrule had the wealth and influence that befitted a former Council Member Dimension of the Dimensional Alliance. Queen Zelda the First was a respected ruler, unlike her husband, Lyndon Pilot. Mengsk could be counted as one of Pilot's allies, but it didn't necessarily mean he liked the dwarf. He was surprised that he did not follow the other Dwarves to New Coruscant. Nonetheless, he was the King of Hyrule, even though everyone knew it was Zelda who ran the Kingdom and the District. And unfortunately for Senator Mengsk, Queen Zelda did not particularly like him. It may have something to do with the fact that the Queen's daughter was also BMD's daughter, and everyone knew what Mengsk thought of BMD. Mengsk scowled. His mind drifted toward his son, who'd taken radically different stances than his father. Arcturus believed that Valerian would change his views in time, but the more time that passed, the farther they seemed to diverge. In addition, the four men that could mean the end of his reign were still around, in various sects of his District's government. Le, Liberty, Stukov, and Raynor. How they survived the Dimensional Meld to continue to plague him, Arcturus would never know. But until the time came to get rid of them, he'd just have to play nice. ---- Le hated dealing with his egomaniac of a Senator. Arcturus Mengsk was supposed to lead Earthern District, but instead, he made every attempt to make sure no one disputed his rule. In actuality, there were only the barest mutterings of discontent with Mengsk's leadership. No one was ready to formally oppose him, but that did not do anything to dissuade Mengsk's paranoia. Le and his friends dealt with it, though. They were, without a doubt, Mengsk's greatest foes when it came to Earthern politics. Le was content with that. It kept the Senator on edge, and forced him to compromise. In all his years of military service, Le would've never thought he'd play these political games. It didn't really matter, though. Times had changed for everyone. Le stepped out of the District-Government building and into the busy Koftian streets. Cars and people went about their business past him as he made his way to his car parked on the side of the street ahead of him. Most vehicles on Koft were all usually black sedans. Prime Minister Goku and the Koftian Senators agreed that the best way toward normality was to progress uniformly. Though all Districts had their own specializations and advantages, no one District was ever left behind. In fact, all reclamation research was done within the bounds of the Koftian Planetary Watch. The military branch of the Koftian government was the driving point in technological advances. Stepping into his car, Le started the engine and eased into the Earthern-District traffic. Heavier rush hour traffic would not begin until later in the day, so Le took his time heading to his apartment. His home was on the very edge of the Earthern-District's border with Hylian-District. It was a very expensive spot to live, considering residents had a first hand view of the beautiful Hylian plains and the distant majesty that was Hyrule Castle. Le lived in the Rylo apartment complex a mile off from the bridge to Hyrule. The apartment was large and furnished to Le's liking. He lived in modesty. Anything that was considered superfluous was usually a gift from one friend or another. Entering the complex, Le pulled into his reserved parking space and left his car. He walked casually to the complex's entrance and was met by two familiar faces. The first belonged to Alexei Stukov. Alexei was a Sergeant in the Koftian Planetary Watch. Though Stukov attempted to persuade Le into joining the military, Le had decided that his talents lay solely with Earthern District, and not the entire planet. Stukov's companion was James Raynor. The haggard man was leaning against the wall adjacent to the doorway of the complex. Stukov nodded to Le, who returned the greeting to both of his visitors. "Come to see me off to Kofto City?" Le asked. He walked past the two and thumbed in his residence code. The double doors swiveled open and Le walked inside, his visitors in tow. "How'd you know we heard about that?" Stukov asked. "You talk as if I don't know you, Alexei," Le flashed a grin at Stukov as the three walked to the turbo-lift. "So where did you hear about it, though?" "Yeah, Alexei. Who's your inside source on all things Koft?" Raynor glanced at his friend. Stukov shook his head with a smile. "That would be telling... Besides. Let us just say my contact is reliable and has access to some of the highest officials, including the Prime Minister," Stukov replied reassuringly. "Well as long as your contact doesn't exploit our secrets, we'll be fine," Raynor crossed his arms. Le chuckled and thumbed the turbo-lift's call button. "What?" "What, Jim? Who'd want to know our secrets? All we've got are: Jim Raynor drinks way too much, Alexei Stukov is probably going to die of lung cancer," Le glanced at Alexei, who was about to light up a cigar, but after his remark, the soldier stopped dead in his tracks and cocked an eye at Le. "And me? Well, no one would want to know that I hate vegetables." "Ha. Ha. Very funny. Y'know people can use that against us. Mengsk would love to paint us as scandalously as possible if he knew half the things he claims to know about us," Jim said. There was a chime and the turbo-lift's doors swiveled open. The three entered the elevator and Le keyed in his apartment's floor. "It's not like we're that popular. I'm sure half the people on Koft have forgotten about us by now," Le said. "Forgotten you, perhaps. But me? I am an officer of the Koftian Planetary Watch, sir. I am a very distinguished individual," Stukov grinned. He lit up his cigar and took a long drag. "Right," Raynor sighed. "Either way. What are you planning to do up there, on that big ol' moon?" "Closer to the Sun. I hear the atmosphere's cleaner too. Catch some rays. Chase the ladies," Le said nonchalantly. "Am I the only one who's going to take things seriously?" Raynor said, agitation creeping into his voice. "You're thinking too much of it, Jim. Relax. Mengsk isn't going to jump out of every corner to screw you," Le said. "We've a job to do. And that's to make Earthern District as powerful and influential as possible. Once that's done, then we can deal with Mengsk. Until then, we've got to put the interests of all Earth-borne first." Raynor stared hard at his friend, but nodded. "You're right. I guess I'm still thinking about the glory days of fighting a rebellion," "We've all somewhat the same goals at the moment. We'll take him out of the picture soon enough," Le promised. The turbo-lift's doors opened, leading to Le's apartment. He turned to Jim before stepping out of the lift. "Now let me fix you a drink." Raynor snorted and rolled his eyes. "Shut up, man"